Keyboards are very versatile instruments, they have 100 different instrumental sounds called voices, which enable the children to get used to the different instruments of the orchestra and be able to recognise the 4 different families in the orchestra. Keyboards also have 100 different rhythm or style settings built in to them, which is like having your own working backing group when you play.

In the beginning we only use 5 notes which correspond to the five fingers and it is really important for the children to learn the tunes off by heart using the finger numbers. They can practise on a table, or on their lap or just walking along, but it is so important that they do this as it exercises the muscles in the fingers and also teaches them the piece.

To have the basics of music before entering Secondary school is a great advantage if they want to be part of a choir or orchestra or do music for Junior Cert or Leaving Cert. It means that at any time if they decide to learn a different instrument or to progress further with the keyboard or piano it will be easy for them, as they have the basic skills.

A couple of years ago I did a H.dip. in Music  Education. Part of the course entailed the Lecturer sitting in on a class. She was so impressed with the set up in the school that she wrote a paper and presented a lecture on group teaching for schools which recommended that other schools should copy this model.

I am a firm believer in learning music by writing it yourself, that is composing pieces. Every group is unique and making music for each group means doing different things for that group. Every child has different abilities where music is concerned, but in a group situation it doesn't matter as there is something for everyone to do in a piece. Some children may never get the hang of it but again that doesn't matter as the information is going in and later on they may try something else in the music area and find that they were much better than they realised.

SINGING: I take 1st and 2nd class together and do some easy little nursery rhymes and short songs. It takes a while to get the younger children to sing in tune but it is well worth the effort. Encourage children to sing at home all the time; it is amazing how quickly they learn the words of a song!

Third and fourth come as a group and I sometimes teach them the same song as 5th & 6th if we are going to put them together. It would be terrific to have a school choir and this is something that I am working on. Singing and keyboards go hand in hand, as they are both using the same notes. The voice is an instrument, so I hope that either singing or playing will appeal to all the children. Some will enjoy both and some will prefer one or the other, but they are still learning the basics of music for life.